A Day in the Life of Carrie Brownstein

The former riot grrrl thrives in her latest act as the costar and cocreator of IFC's hit comedy Portlandia, debuting its fourth season this month

ENLARGE

TREE HUGGERS | Fred Armisen and Brownstein take a breather between shots on the set of Portlandia.
Photography by Michael Friberg for WSJ. Magazine

By

Brekke Fletcher

Jan. 21, 2014 12:31 p.m. ET

AS CARRIE BROWNSTEIN wriggles into an unwieldy foam tree costume in a house-turned-set in northeast Portland, it seems safe to assume that playing a deciduous role is a recent addition to her repertoire. Back in the early aughts, she was best known as the screaming, bounding, live-wire vocalist and guitarist for Sleater-Kinney (named the best American rock group in 2001 by Time) and as a queen of the leftist, punkish riot grrrl movement. Her recent crossover into acting—as the costar of the cultish Emmy and Peabody award–winning show Portlandia, alongside former SNL cast member Fred Armisen—seems unlikely, until you consider the wealth of comedic material that couch-surfing through the flannel-clad, P.C.-obsessed '90s provides a series that's dedicated to lampooning the mores of modern hipsterdom.

Tracking Carrie Brownstein

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Brownstein grew up in a suburb of Seattle, finding solace in punk music, an interest that in college would lead her to the nascent alternative music scene in Olympia. There she joined forces with Corin Tucker and started the band Sleater-Kinney, releasing their debut album in 1995 and recording and touring (joined by longtime drummer Janet Weiss in 1996) for more than a decade. Brownstein entered a musical fallow period, blogging for NPR and briefly working for the ad agency Wieden + Kennedy. After a chance meeting with Fred Armisen at an SNL after-party, the pair decided to pitch a new show to IFC in 2010.

While Curb Your Enthusiasm acidly lays bare the selfish schemes of L.A.'s Hollywood set, Portlandia parodies Portland's crunchier pretensions in a series of absurdist sketches featuring irate cyclists, radical feminist bookstore owners and loopy artisanal homemakers. On this particular Monday, the 39-year-old Brownstein puts in an exhausting 14 hours on set shooting scenes for the new season with Armisen, with whom she has sibling-like chemistry. When not shooting, she tours occasionally with her band Wild Flag and has been working on and off on a memoir. Having a foot in other worlds helps her maintain a distance from the show's material, but sometimes, as when she discusses what to do with a recently gifted taxidermied weasel or the woman who watches her dogs, she can't help playing to type. "I feel like I have to keep this a secret," she says, "but yes, I do have a dog nanny."

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